


Every Move You Make

by LostyK



Series: Whoops, all whump! (Whumptober 2020) [2]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Evil OC Dark Sides, Gen, Tied To A Bed, Whumptober 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-24
Updated: 2020-10-24
Packaged: 2021-03-09 06:15:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,924
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27179107
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LostyK/pseuds/LostyK
Summary: This, it seemed, was not going to go well for him. He forced himself to not show his panic on his face. “What do you want?” he asked. Surely someone like Avarice would be easy to bribe.“I want you to stay here,” Avarice said. “You’re always with the Lights, like you’re too good for the rest of us.”Whumptober Day One: Waking Up In Restraints:Janus is pretty close to being accepted now. Not everyone is happy about that.
Relationships: Deceit | Janus Sanders & Thomas Sanders
Series: Whoops, all whump! (Whumptober 2020) [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1983892
Comments: 8
Kudos: 62





	Every Move You Make

Something was wrapped tight around his wrists, cutting into his skin.

Janus tried to move his arms, tried to push whatever was on him off so he could go back to sleep, but something was keeping his arms in place above his head. That was what pushed him fully into wakefulness.

He was on his bed, with his arms chained to the head board and his legs to the bottom bed frame. His shoulders already ached from the angle.

“Remus,” Janus called, because waking up in strange positions was commonplace in the Dark Side. “ _Don’t_ let me out of here, now. I _won’t_ get my revenge.”

Nothing. Remus didn’t even _show up_ , to tease him or gloat about how Janus had let his guard down, or else explain why he’d done this (as nonsense as his reasons usually turned out). Well, fine. If Remus wanted to be like that, so be it. Janus would just have to teach him to regret it.

He tried to sink out, to rise up in some hidden spot of the mindscape so he could plot his revenge, but something stopped him. The cuffs were firm against his skin, and some power in them stopped him from leaving. He pulled against them, searching for some give, but found nothing.

“Remus,” he called again. “Let me out.”

Still no answer. Something had to be wrong now; Remus wouldn’t do this and just _leave_ him there. Janus gritted his teeth and tried a different tactic. “Avarice.”

This did get a response; Avarice rose up in the corner of the room, looking put out. “You’re up early.”

“Just get me out,” Janus snapped.

He avoided Avarice whenever possible, and when it wasn’t possible, he always prepared for things to go bad. Avarice was possessive of anything that he considered his, and he believed everything should belong to him. He’d used to attack Virgil for eating the wrong food, had even gone after Remus, once.

“I was making breakfast for you,” Avarice said. “You weren’t supposed to be awake until later.”

“This is _fascinating_ ,” Janus hissed. “But can you please do something about the situation? Remus is in one of his moods, it seems.”

“ _Remus,”_ Avarice said derisively. “He doesn’t care enough about anything to do this. I did.”

This, it seemed, was not going to go well for him. He forced himself to not show his panic on his face. “What do you want?” he asked. Surely someone like Avarice would be easy to bribe.

“I want you to stay here,” Avarice said. “You’re always with the _Lights_ , like you’re too good for the rest of us.”

“I’m only with them when I’m speaking to Thomas,” Janus said, keeping his voice reasonable. “I don’t even care about them.”

Avarice shook his head. “You’re lying. You think you can just _leave_ , like Virgil did.”

“I don’t want to go anywhere,” Janus tried. “Avarice, I swear-”

“Stop lying,” Avarice snarled, and then he was gone.

Janus twisted to inspect the restraints. They were silver cuffs, attached to a chain that was wrapped around the iron bedframe with hardly any give. There was no opening to the cuffs, just a solid ring of metal. They must have been conjured around his wrists.

He let his head fall back against the bed. Remus would notice he was gone and coming looking. This would be the first place he looked. Janus just had to wait.

There was no way of telling how time was passing until Thomas woke up. When he did so, Janus had no idea if it had been minutes or hours since he’d been trapped. With no reason for Thomas to lie, Janus was only vaguely aware of him – enough to know that he was on his phone, not enough to see what he was looking at.

The door opening pulled Janus’ attention back to his room. Avarice walked in, carrying a plate of food; toast and bacon and sausages. He walked over to the bed, and set the plate down on the floor.

Janus moved back as far as the restraints allowed him, snarling. “Don’t touch me.”

Avarice tugged at Janus’ arms and Janus hissed, expecting pain when they pulled against the chains, but instead they came loose. Janus tried to pull away from Avarice, but Avarice tighten his hands around Janus’ arms and pinned him to the bed. Janus snarled, tried to twist so he could bite Avarice, inject his venom, but Avarice just held his arms at an awkward angle. Something happened, and then Avarice let go. Janus pulled himself upright, but now the chains on his wrists were attached to each other.

Avarice picked up the plate, and then sat down next to Janus. As soon as Janus realised what was happening, he shook his head vehemently. No way was he eating anything Avarice had prepared.

“Eat,” Avarice ordered, holding the toast up to Janus’ lips. Janus kept his mouth stubbornly shut.

“Eat,” Avarice repeated, and Janus shook his head, glaring.

Avarice snarled in frustration, his hands shaking. To give food away, no matter what reason or quality, was to go against his instincts, and that was clearly taking a toll. Good. Maybe soon Avarice would leave him alone.

Avarice grabbed Janus by the hair and pulled his head closer to Avarice’s chest, making tears form in the corners of Janus’ eyes. With his other hand he pinched Janus’ nose shut. Janus refused to open his mouth until the burning of his lungs forced him to breathe, and when he did, Avarice shoved a piece of the toast inside, making him gag.

Avarice’s hand wrapped over Janus’ mouth, forcing it shut. Janus struggled to chew and swallow without choking. When he was done, Avarice held more toast up to his mouth. This time, Janus opened it without resisting, though Avarice still held it closed as he ate.

Humiliation burned through him as Avarice fed him the rest of the meal like that, hand feeding him as if he was a fucking baby. There was nothing Janus could do to stop it; if he tried, Avarice would just force him again.

It was only when Avarice left that he let the tears spill down his face.

*

He spent his time in the hazy place halfway between himself and Thomas. Thomas went to the store, and after he got back Avarice fed him by hand again. Thomas watched Parks and Rec again, and Remus didn’t appear. Thomas went to bed, and when Avarice came Janus promised that he’d stay, so long as Avarice just _let him go_ , but Avarice ignored him.

Avarice didn’t show up with breakfast the second day. Thomas went to visit Joan for lunch, and when he got back, he stood in his living room with the other sides, and called Janus’ name.

His response was instinctive; tugging at the bonds as he tried to sit up, to get to him.

The summons came again, more urgent this time. The compulsion to go to Thomas made him through himself against his restraints, again and again. He felt something pull painfully in his shoulder, felt something wet on his wrists.

“Avarice,” Janus shouted. “Let me out.”

Thomas was confused. Thomas needed Janus and Janus _wasn’t there_ , couldn’t do anything to help him other than maybe said an urge to lie.

“Avarice _please_. I’ll come straight back, I promise. You can lock me up again, I won’t even try to fight you. Just please, please let me go to him.”

There was no answer, and Janus screamed wordlessly and threw himself against his restraints again.

The summons faded slowly, Thomas turning to the other sides to solve whatever problem he had. As they did, Janus became aware of his surrounding again, of the pain around his wrists. When he looked, they were bleeding underneath the cuffs.

He wondered how long it would take for Thomas to stop bothering to call him at all.

*

Avarice continued to visit. Sometimes he brought food, and the look he gave Janus as he ate made Janus want to run and hide. Other times, he just stood in the room and watched. He even talked occasionally, petty things about how his day had gone, complaints about Remus.

He thought it had been three days since he’d been trapped, maybe four. Avarice had just left, which meant it would be a while before he came back. When he did return, Janus planned on trying to press him for information about Remus. Perhaps he could even convince Avarice to let him see Remus.

He felt the tugging again, and forced himself to lie still against it. He’d learned that it was possible to ride it out, resist the urge to move, to go to Thomas.

The feeling changed, flipped inside out, and suddenly he was pulling something-

There was a moment of warmth and then movement and Thomas was there, leaning over him, face filled with concern. Just the sight of him made Janus want to sob.

“Janus?” Thomas asked. “What _happened_? You’ve been gone for days.”

“Just get me out,” Janus gasped. “ _Please_.”

Thomas nodded, moving to the manacles around Janus’ wrists. When his hands brushed against Janus, it sent jolts of electricity across his skin.

“I can’t- there’s no opening,” Thomas said, and Janus could feel the ghost of his panic set in, wondered where Virgil was watching from. “I don’t know how to get them off.”

Janus forced himself to breathe in and out slowly, looking up at his centre, at the person part of him was convinced would automatically make everything okay. “Nothing here is real,” he said when he was calm enough to speak evenly. “You’re in control of it. Concentrate, imagine them gone.”

Thomas nodded and closed his eyes, brow pinching together. When nothing happened, Janus added, “You can do this, Thomas.”

The pressure on his wrists and ankles disappeared all at once, as if it had never been there at all. Janus pulled himself upright, drew his arms and legs close to his body in case the chains reappeared after all.

Thomas’ face lit up. “I did it!” he cheered, and then he was pulling Janus into a hug. It was the first time he’d been properly touched in days, and the sensation made his body light up with warmth. He leaned into it, burying his head into Thomas’ shoulder and Thomas’ hand came up to rub soothing patterns into his back.

“I’ve got you,” Thomas said soothingly. “It’s okay.” And then Janus couldn’t stop himself crying.

He brought his extra arms out to cling tighter to Thomas, vaguely aware of their surroundings shifting, of them ending up on Thomas’ couch.

“Ah,” a voice said, and Janus threw himself away from Thomas.

The four Light Sides were stood in their usual places in the living room. Even Remus was there, stood next to Roman. Across the room, Virgil quickly looked away, and Janus felt as if he would die from embarrassment.

“What’s going on?” he asked, voice cracking. If they were all here then that meant Thomas must need something, and here Janus was, crying like a baby.

“You!” Roman exclaimed, far too loud, and Janus flinched before he could stop himself. “You’re what’s going on!”

Thomas placed a hand on Janus’ arm, and that touch was all it took to ebb some of his anxiety away. He leaned into Thomas, and Thomas’ other arm wrapped around his shoulders.

“We tried calling you but you didn’t show up,” Thomas explained.

“Virgil insisted something was wrong,” Logan added, and Virgil ducked his head. “He claimed, quote: “That slimy snake would never miss a chance to show up”.”

“We thought you were just busy,” Patton admitted. “But then Remus said that he thought you were with us, so Thomas went to find you.”

“And I’m glad I did,” Thomas said, pressing himself closer to Janus. “How long were you like that?”

“What day is it?” Janus asked, and Thomas’s face fell. “It’s not important,” he added hurriedly. “But thank you for helping me.”

“Of course we helped.” Patton looked like he was about to cry.

Janus nodded, unsure what to do about the blatant display of weakness he’d just shown in front of them.

“Hey, guys, could you give us a minute?”

Patton gave Janus one last shaky smile before he disappeared, Logan and Roman going with him. Virgil lingered for a moment, looking like he wanted to say something.

“You good?” he asked at last, and Janus could sense the lie layered over it- it wasn’t what Virgil actually wanted to say.

Tempting the truth out of Virgil was not something he had the time or inclination for today, so he just nodded. Virgil didn’t look like he believed him, but a moment later he sank out too. Only Remus lingered.

“You really didn’t mean to disappear?” Remus asked.

“Being tied to my bed for days is _exactly_ what I wanted to happen,” Janus said, throat tightening at the memory. “He told you I was with them?”

“Said you’d fucked off to hang out in the light,” Remus answered, voice brittle and desperate. “Guess I should have known better, huh?”

Janus didn’t know what to say. _I’ll never leave you_ seemed to fake, how was he supposed to make a promise like that and _mean it_. But part of him was just grateful that Remus hadn’t known a thing. Perhaps Remus wasn’t the only one who should have known better than to listen to Avarice.

“Of course not,” Janus said. “I would absolutely have left in the middle of the night like a noble’s daughter running off to elope.”

It was as much of a promise as Janus could make, _If I do, I’ll tell you first_. Remus must have understood it, because he didn’t even attempt a joke about Janus eloping.

“Well, okay then,” Remus said. He looked at Thomas. “You better take care of him,Thom- _ass_. Otherwise I’m going to make your mind hell. See you later, Jan-Jan!”

Janus shook his head as soon as Remus left. “He won’t actually do anything,” Janus assured him.

“I’ll take your word for it,” Thomas muttered, which was terrible idea all around, really.

Janus fiddled with his gloves. Thomas was warm against his side, and he could feel the steady _in and out_ of his breathing.

“What did you want to ask me?” Janus asked after a moment of letting himself enjoy it.

“Huh?” Thomas looked confused. “Oh, nothing. I just figured you’d want some space. The others can, be, uh, kind of a lot.”

Thomas looked the kind of sheepish someone could only be when talking about people who were also parts of that persons mind. Janus’ throat felt oddly tight.

“Right,” he said, carefully extracting himself from Thomas’ limbs. “If you’ll excuse me-”

He tried to stand up, but Thomas’ hand looped around his arm and stopped him. “If you want to go you can,” Thomas said, “But you don’t have to.”

There was no lie to be sensed, but Janus himself knew how to lie while telling nothing but the truth. Just because Janus didn’t _have_ to leave, didn’t mean Thomas _wanted_ him to stay. And Janus was meant to give Thomas what he wanted.

“I’ll be perfectly fine by myself,” Janus answered. Also true, seeing as nothing bad was going to happen to him. It just didn’t mean he’d be happy about it.

“Where are you even going?”

To his room, of course. Even without Logan in the room, Thomas should have been able to figure _that_ one out by himself. To his room, the one place in Thomas’ mind that was _Janus_ , that was safe. The place where he could lurk and scheme in peace, until Avarice came back and locked him up again.

Until Avarice did _worse_ than just lock him up, because losing something he thought belonged to him only ever made Avarice madder. He wouldn’t bother just tying Janus to his bed, he’d shut him up in the dark of the mindscape, somewhere no one would ever find him, and Janus would starve and fade away and leave Thomas helpless, leave him to destroy his own life one good deed at a time.

“Hey,” Thomas said gently, guiding Janus back down to the sofa. “It’s okay, you’re safe. I’ve got you.”

Thomas still had one hand on Janus’ arm, and now he was rubbing his thumb across it. Janus shuddered, wanting nothing more than to lean into the touch. He knew it couldn’t last; he could hardly expect Thomas to spend all day cuddling a figment of his imagination. But for a moment, he just wanted to pretend that he was safe and Thomas loved him.

“”You know,” Thomas said, “It would make me feel a lot better if you stayed here. You know, just in case I need your help for something.”

Janus narrowed his eyes, and considered banging his head against the wall at how obvious Thomas was being. “You’re incredibly subtle.”

Thomas shrugged, completely unrepentant. “If it working?”

It was, though Janus wasn’t about to admit that. He just hissed grumpily and buried himself in Thomas’ chest. He heard Thomas chuckle, and a pair of arms wrapped around him. Janus returned the gesture with all six of his own.

“I’ve got you,” Thomas murmured. “It’s okay.”

It wasn’t okay. There was still Avarice to deal with, and then his embarrassment in front of the Lights. For now, though, Janus believed him.

**Author's Note:**

> You can also find me on tumblr! sparrow-flies-south.tumblr.com


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